In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt until blended. Add the butter, and use your fingers to work the butter into the mixture until it forms pea-size lumps. Set aside. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator, and pour the apple filling into it, shaking the pie plate to spread it out evenly. Pat the streusel topping onto the surface, covering the apples evenly. Take a large brown paper bag, place the pie inside the bag, and fold the end of the bag over twice to close the Eyeliner Pencil Packaging.

To secure it, staple or paper-clip the opening. Place the bag on a baking sheet and bake the pie for 45 minutes.Remove the bagged pie from the oven. Carefully cut open the bag and remove the pie. Discard the bag, and return the pie to the baking sheet. Continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the streusel is golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven, and let it cool to room temperature before enjoying.Note: Early on as the pie bakes, your kitchen will smell like paper.

Don't worry — the scent of spiced apples will soon overtake the space.From United States of Pie: Regional Favorites from East to West and North to South by Adrienne Kane. Copyright 2012 by Adrienne Kane. Excerpted by permission of Ecco. I love the combination of chocolate and raisins. From Raisinets to a divine raisin-studded chocolate coffee cake that my parents used to buy me as a treat, chocolates and raisins are a match made in heaven. So when I saw this recipe in Jean Hewitt's New York Times Heritage Cookbook, I was more than a little excited.

Toss well to coat. (The addition of the flour dries the raisins out a bit and makes them easier to chop.) Roughly chop the raisins either by pulsing them in a food processor or a blender, or by chopping them by hand with a very sharp knife. Combine the chopped raisins, heavy cream, chocolate, and butter in the top of a double boiler. Place the pan over simmering water, and stir until the chocolate has melted. Remove the pan from the heat.